“The principal appeared to be about ten years older than he, with a great deal of dark hair, worn up, a Caucasian and attractive. And attractive women always made him hurt, literally, a long pain that started high up in his solar plexus and radiated downward through his gut. As if he had just asked this attractive woman to the theater, only to be told, You must be joking.” 

This quote serves to illuminate Reuben’s character. A constant victim of his appearance, both as a black man and as a disfigured individual, Reuben obsesses over the appearance of others, especially women. Reuben finds physical discomfort in their attractiveness, the tremors of his emotional trauma manifest merely from the potential for a woman’s scorn. 

“He was a demon about grooming, although he knew no one else would ever really see. He appreciated these habits in himself, even if, or because, no one else did.” 

At the beginning of the novel, Reuben is a selfish individual. Because he anticipates the thoughts and reactions of other people, many of his own actions seem to be self-centered overcompensations. Ironically, this attempt to prevent himself from being harmed by other’s opinions leads him to be emotionally closed-off towards other people, further isolating himself. In order to compensate for his disfigurement, he works hard to present the best possible version of himself, which people often mistake for a kind of arrogance. 

“‘Well what your mom doesn’t know, Trevor, because she’s never been in my shoes, is that if you act like you didn’t notice, I still know that you did. And then it feels strange that we can’t talk about it when we’re both thinking it. Know what I mean?” 

Without knowing anything about Arlene, Reuben presumes to know that she could never understand his position. Reuben presents himself as the only person in the world who has suffered physical and emotional trauma, isolating himself from the rest of society. Although what happened to him was indeed horrific, Reuben makes no attempt to engender a kind of community; rather, he presumes his initial perceptions of other people to be entirely true. In this way, Reuben demonstrates his own hypocrisy: he reprimands other people for making assumptions based on his appearance but then does the same thing to them, sometimes before he even sees them. Reuben not only judges people based on appearances, he also judges them based solely upon his previous experiences with other humans. This level of judgment is not sustainable within a community, and Reuben uses this judgment as a defense mechanism to isolate himself from the community. Ultimately, his judgment mostly ends up hurting himself. 

“She knew if she were to take off his T-shirt he would have a tattoo on his shoulder, with a name too faded to read. Someone he knew for a month or two when he was too young to know that forever only goes for the scars. And the blue ink you have allowed under the skin.” 

The author frequently uses physical pain as a substitute for speaking about emotional trauma. Both of the main adult characters within the novel, Reuben and Arlene, have suffered a large amount of psychological trauma. This pain has left them both emotionally stunted. They expect other people to cause them emotional harm, and so they refuse to speak about trauma in terms of emotions. Rather, they use physical symptoms to represent the deep-rooted emotional scars left over from their relative pasts. 

“His eyes on her drinking glass. No judgment, just a silent taking-in, too grown-up for a boy his age, knowing certain things, like why grown-ups try. And how damned unlikely they are to succeed.”

Throughout the novel, Trevor is frequently touted as being different, but in a way that seems so unremarkable few people notice. Seemingly, the most remarkable aspect about Trevor is also his most childlike: his lack of judgment. Like a small child, Trevor only watches how other people act. Although Arlene casts this as a very mature response, it also arrives as innocent to the point of being naive, as though Trevor exists in a space that precedes judgment. In this way, Trevor represents the opposite of Reuben, who bases all of his knowledge off his own judgment.

“She turned back to look at him. All softness in her face. Maybe it had never occurred to her that bums used to be kids. Or wanted their dreams to come true, like everybody.” 

Most of the book examines the role empathy plays in interpersonal relationships. These relationships can be long-lasting, such as Arlene and Reuben’s relationship, or fairly short-lived, such as the relationship between Jerry and Arlene. Regardless of the duration, much of the ability to help someone lies in the characters’ abilities to empathize with someone who appears to be different from themselves.

“She knew it was a genuine problem in his mind, one of those Santa Claus crossroads of childhood that shape or destroy a person’s faith forevermore, and this boy was too good to turn astray.” 

Although many of the characters in the novel stress the lack of accountability as a flaw in the Pay It Forward system, the reason it works within the context of the novel actually stems from this same belief in accountability, and, specifically, from responsibility toward the individual who helped the character in the first place. The quotation emphasizes the responsibility these characters feel within their interpersonal relationships. Because Trevor is a child and therefore malleable in his perspective, Ida Greenberg feels beholden to him to make good on her promise. In this way, the book presents the Pay It Forward system as one that requires accountability. From there, the system can grow and spread.

“Reuben shook his head. It hurt to watch the idealism get kicked out of somebody. Almost as much as it had hurt when he’d lost his own. ‘I guess you just report your effort. I’m grading on effort, not results.’” 

This quotation demonstrates the importance associated with intentions. In this way, the book diverges from the viewpoint that the ends often justify the means. Trevor’s idea, therefore, is revolutionary in that it attempts to change the way that society perceives humanity as a whole. This quotation also demonstrates the difference between the characters of Reuben and Trevor. Trevor represents the idealistic version of Reuben; or rather, he represents Reuben before Reuben succumbed to pessimism as a result of emotional trauma. 

“‘It’s a tough assignment. That’s part of the lesson, I’m afraid. We all want to change the world, and sometimes we need to learn that it’s harder than we think.’” 

While much of the story seems too good to be true, Reuben serves as the narrative’s cynic for much of the novel. He gives Trevor sage wisdom, while still remaining pessimistic toward his project’s outcome. Just as the effort and intent color the action, so too does the action’s difficulty. If changing the world was a simple task, Rueben says, it would have already been accomplished. Therefore, civic responsibility should be difficult, an ongoing process in which things never turn out as one expects. It is the perseverance in the face of adversity that decides whether a valuable idea will be successful.

“‘Your problem is you worry too much about your looks. I don’t care near as much as you do, I couldn’t possibly. Even if I quit my day job, I just wouldn’t have time. Did you ever consider that if you’d never gone and gotten hurt like you did, you’d be way too good for me. I mean, you’d be in such a whole different league you wouldn’t even give me the time of day.’”

Arlene pinpoints Reuben’s shallowness in a way that he fails to see for himself. Because Reuben is so isolated from any community, it is difficult for him to see his own flaws. However, once he builds interpersonal relationships, others are able to open his eyes to the value he places on appearances. Arlene also presents the idea of fate, one which is ongoing through the novel. Her simple assertion lends credence to the belief that the two of them were destined to be together. In order to arrive at the place where you are destined to be, Arlen says, you have to face a certain amount of adversity. However, all of these challenges represent stepping stones to help one find their way. Understanding the end result helps to minimize the emotional trauma of the past, lending meaning to the tragic events that happen in people’s lives. 

“And she was so relieved to think that he’d be there again tomorrow she didn’t say another word, not wanting to say or do anything that might break the spell.”

Arlene has low standards when it comes to men she has dated. Although only a few instances in the book explain her relationship with Ricky and the emotional and possibly physical abuse she suffered from him, her expectations of Reuben explain Arlene’s troubled past with men. She is grateful even for his presence and constantly fears losing him, demonstrating her penchant for dating flight risks. This most basic aspect of human interpersonal relationships—being physically present for someone—is strange to Arlene, who expects Reuben to leave at any time. 

“You know what’s weird? What’s weird is when you mean a lot more to somebody else than they ever meant to you. I mean, a whole lot more. Like life on two whole different planets.” 

Matt reflects here on the relativity of interpersonal relationships. Ida’s relationship to Matt was much more special than Matt thought, primarily because Ida did not have much interaction with other people. There is a simplicity to this kind of logic, as well as to the word choice and syntax, which can be seen as indicative of the simplicity of human kindness. It is not difficult to be nice to another person, even if that person seems like you and they are on “two whole different planets.” Rather, by seeing the humanity in the other person, it’s possible to create change.

“If she could see, she’d know he made a good decision. And if not, well. If not, he could see. He would know he didn’t waste it, whether or not Mrs. Greenberg ever found out.” 

Much how Mrs. Greenberg feels beholden to Trevor to pay it forward, Matt feels beholden to the memory and possible, continued existence of the elderly woman. Throughout the novel, death arises as a fact of life that the characters must grapple with. However, death does not present itself as a finality. Rather, there is a belief in the continued existence of a person after death, the belief that the soul of the individual can see the actions of the still-living characters. In keeping with this concept of the immortality of souls, the novel repeatedly emphasizes sight and seeing as important facets of humanity, ones that continue even past death.

“Someone’s fingers were touching the uneven, partly deadened skin on the wrong side of his face. His impulse was to bolt, then he remembered.” 

Throughout the novel, Reuben ascribes morality to appearance, specifically regarding the immorality of his own disfigurement. He categorizes the disfigured side of his face as wrong, implying that the handsome side of his face is, therefore, morally right. This differentiation further reinforces Reuben’s shallowness: not only does he place an exorbitant amount of worth upon appearance, he also moralizes attraction, applying social norms and human ideas to biological traits. His biological instinct then kicks in as it is intrinsically tied to his self-consciousness. 

“[Principal Morgan] watched him carefully as he spoke, and he saw something forming in her eyes, something about him, as though he was looking in a mirror. Then she repeated the observation in words. ‘You really care for that boy, don’t you Reuben?’” 

The novel frequently plays with the idea of reflection, specifically through its use of mirrors as methods to reflect personality traits and characteristics that the characters themselves cannot always see. In this case, Reuben learns something new about himself only upon looking at his reflection in the principal’s eyes. 

“It had never occurred to Charlotte to look, until he said that. He was right. It was beautiful. Clear and clean smelling from the recent rains, which had moved through, headed south, leaving the stars out in numbers. Enough moon to see Alcatraz. And the lights of the city pressed together, cluttering the hill. Moon on the water. Sausalito on the other side, the dark shape of landmasses in the night.” 

While beauty is something that characters can see, it is also something that they must actively look for, especially those characters suffering from emotional turmoil. However, the counterintuitive nature of beauty stems from its simplicity: beauty resides in clean smells and the light from the moon and cityscape. While these aspects of beauty seem relatively simple, it becomes difficult for troubled characters, such as Charlotte, to see them; rather, they must actively engage with their surroundings in order to truly see the beauty in them. Beauty is also therefore tied to hope.

 “‘That black water. Right down there. That is a very comfortable darkness.’

‘Ah, now that’s where you’re wrong. Just wait’ll you get down there. That’s a very ugly darkness. Very cold. Unforgiving. You won’t like it one bit.’” 

While Charlotte’s depressed mind might think it can find solace in the darkness, Jerry maintains that the darkness is actually quite cold and unforgiving. This portrayal contrasts with previous representations of light as being full of hope and warmth. Similarly, he refers to the cold darkness as “ugly,” substantiating the conflation between morality and appearance that can be witnessed in characters such as Reuben. While beauty seemingly represents an amoral characteristic, ugliness—and by extension, things associated with ugliness—are moralized to become inherently bad.

“It took her back to that place again, the one she didn’t like. The one where she knew that, by all rights, he was something she never should have been able to afford.”

The use of the word “should” connotes the importance of social norms in defining human relationships. Arlene does not feel that she could not afford Reuben and this relationship; rather, she seems to have the social capital in order to obtain him, and indeed has. However, she feels as though she shouldn’t be allowed to be in a relationship with Reuben or perhaps be happy at all. This moralizes the relationship: even though she can be a part of it, she feels as though she is not good enough for him and so should refrain from tainting him with her presence.

“Trevor’s voice sounded hollow and cold. It never had before. That was the moment, really, that Reuben knew something had happened—something irrevocable. Trevor had never talked that way to anybody.” 

In order to indicate the change in Trevor’s usual personality, the narrator speaks to Trevor going “cold,” as if Trevor figuratively perishes when he sees his father. The way that Reuben speaks Trevor seeing his father, and Trevor’s reaction to Ricky is reminiscent of severe emotional trauma; Trevor shuts down and becomes something less than fully human. This scene represents a turning point in the novel, one in which Trevor must face life’s hardships, most of which seem to be brought on by his absentee father.

“‘This is about that colored man, right? I hate to even talk about that. How could you let that man into your bed? For God’s sake Arlene. First time I saw him sitting there on the couch I thought, well, at least I know she ain’t sleeping with him. Every time I think about it I just—…’” 

Although Arlene repeatedly maintains that Reuben’s skin color doesn’t bother her, there exists this underlying belief that it could bother her, as though being bothered by blackness were the norm in the small town of Atascadero. Here, Ricky’s racism embodies a kind of white, patriarchal fragility regarding the black body; that is, his racist beliefs force him to question his own masculinity when he finds that his previous sexual partner has been intimate with a black man. Therefore, white masculinity seems inherently tied to white women denying the sexual advances of black men, successfully rooting Ricky’s character as both racist and sexist. Similarly, due to the blasé nature with which this exchange takes place—that is, the fact that Ricky does not seem embarrassed by this statement but rather finds it commonplace—suggests the prevalence of racism within society.

“I mean, anybody could have thought of this. It’s so simple. Sometimes, I think, How could it work? That’s so amazing. And other times I think, How could it not work? It’s so simple. The part about believing people might really do it. I bet that’s the part nobody could get right before now.” 

Trevor touches upon a theme integral to the novel: the importance of belief in effecting change. Trevor admits that the idea is simple, and in its simplicity lies both its problematic nature and the ease with which it can be used. This paradoxical nature of his idea to effect global change can be seen as indicative of the human desire to both be selfish and selfless at once. 

“Much to Gordie’s surprise and relief, he found the ability to detach had not abandoned him. It would be another beating, like so many before. He would watch it from a distance, and his skin and bones would heal. Or maybe this time not. But he would be elsewhere as it happened, shut down. When you don’t care anymore you deprive them of the joy of hurting you. Hard to hit somebody where they live if there’s nobody home.” 

Although the threat of physical violence is present at various points in the novel, few instances within the book actually depict acts of violence. The only three instances in which violence is enacted against another human being occur with Gordie: as a gay man, Gordie is constantly the victim of violence. In fact, he is so used to violence that he is able to cope with it via disassociation. Importantly, this disassociation is cast within the syntax of sight, as Gordie “would watch from a distance,” signifying the limitations of sight’s power. While he cannot stop the beating from occurring, he can at least attempt to limit its effectiveness upon his body and spirit. 

“After they ran off, Trevor was standing there. He looked okay. He had his hands over his stomach. His face was so open. How do I explain it? He wasn’t registering any pain or fear. That I could see. I said, ‘Trevor.’ It was all I could say. I thought it was over. I thought he was okay. The danger was gone and my family was still all there. Which I guess is how I always thought it would be.” 

Here, Reuben acknowledges the divergence between first appearances and reality: although Trevor appears to be okay, both Reuben and the audience know that he is not. It is important the Reuben must make this distinction, as he is the character most obsessed with appearances. However, Reuben must finally realize the detriment of appearances, as even though Trevor appeared to be without fear or pain, he was also mortally injured while trying to break up the fight.